Carbon nanotubes are the focus of intensive study for a variety of applications in mechanical and/or electronic devices. Carbon nanotubes can be visualized as cylinders of rolled up graphene sheets, which may be capped so as to close the tubes. They tend to have a high aspect ratio, in particular with a large length compared to the diameter. Carbon nanotubes may have various electrical properties, depending on parameters of their structure. In particular carbon nanotubes may be conductive. Thus, there has been interest in incorporating them into nanoelectronic devices. In such devices, it may be useful to have the nanotubes arranged in a regular array of vertically aligned nanotubes. There has been interest in growing the nanotubes in place on a substrate. However, the variety of substrates suitable for growth is low. Further, the substrates tend not to be conductive.
Thus, there remains a need for providing a system and method for supporting a carbon nanotube array that provides improved selection of the supporting material and/or substrate.